New Delhi: Madonna, 65, on Saturday, attracted more than a million people at Brazil’s Copacabana beach. They braved the heat to see the end of her “Celebration” world tour. The sand and oceanfront boulevard around Rio de Janeiro’s famed beach were filled for several blocks by a crowd the city estimated at 1.6 million, in temperatures that exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, Reuters reported.
While richer fans anchored in dozens of boats near the beach and onlookers crowded beachfront apartments, others had been there for hours or even days to get a good spot. Firefighters sprayed water before the concert to cool fans gathered near the pop queen’s stage, and drinking water was distributed for free.
Madonna performed songs such as “Like a Prayer”, “Vogue” and “Express Yourself” for over two hours from 10:45 p.m. as she wound up the greatest hits tour that started late last year.
“Rio, here we are, in the most beautiful place in the world, with the ocean, the mountains, Jesus,” Madonna told the crowd, referring to the city’s huge mountaintop Christ the Redeemer statue. “Magic.”
Brazilian pop artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar, as well as younger musicians from samba schools, participated in the show.
More than 3,000 police officers were deployed around the concert area. The authorities used a crowd-management strategy similar to their handling of the city’s famous New Year’s Eve celebrations, the report added.
